diff --git a/mythtv/libs/libmythbase/mythsystem.h b/mythtv/libs/libmythbase/mythsystem.h
index 31ddd1b063c..a03f93a0405 100644
--- a/mythtv/libs/libmythbase/mythsystem.h
+++ b/mythtv/libs/libmythbase/mythsystem.h
@@ -154,7 +154,7 @@ class MBASE_PUBLIC MythSystemPrivate : public QObject, public ReferenceCounter
         virtual void Signal(int sig) = 0;
         virtual void JumpAbort(void) = 0;
 
-        virtual bool ParseShell(const QString cmd, QString &abscmd,
+        virtual bool ParseShell(const QString &cmd, QString &abscmd,
                                 QStringList &args) = 0;
 
     protected:
diff --git a/mythtv/libs/libmythbase/system-unix.cpp b/mythtv/libs/libmythbase/system-unix.cpp
index 873a6d034bd..e4bc4022996 100644
--- a/mythtv/libs/libmythbase/system-unix.cpp
+++ b/mythtv/libs/libmythbase/system-unix.cpp
@@ -590,7 +590,7 @@ MythSystemUnix::~MythSystemUnix(void)
 {
 }
 
-bool MythSystemUnix::ParseShell(const QString cmd, QString &abscmd,
+bool MythSystemUnix::ParseShell(const QString &cmd, QString &abscmd,
                                 QStringList &args)
 {
     QList<QChar> whitespace; whitespace << ' ' << '\t' << '\n' << '\r';
diff --git a/mythtv/libs/libmythbase/system-unix.h b/mythtv/libs/libmythbase/system-unix.h
index c7436bd645d..f49071a35d5 100644
--- a/mythtv/libs/libmythbase/system-unix.h
+++ b/mythtv/libs/libmythbase/system-unix.h
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ class MBASE_PUBLIC MythSystemUnix : public MythSystemPrivate
         virtual void Signal(int sig);
         virtual void JumpAbort(void);
 
-        virtual bool ParseShell(const QString cmd, QString &abscmd,
+        virtual bool ParseShell(const QString &cmd, QString &abscmd,
                                 QStringList &args);
 
         friend class MythSystemManager;
diff --git a/mythtv/libs/libmythbase/system-windows.cpp b/mythtv/libs/libmythbase/system-windows.cpp
index 011654379c1..8e6c5de5aac 100644
--- a/mythtv/libs/libmythbase/system-windows.cpp
+++ b/mythtv/libs/libmythbase/system-windows.cpp
@@ -545,8 +545,7 @@ MythSystemWindows::~MythSystemWindows(void)
 {
 }
 
-bool MythSystemWindows::ParseShell(const QString cmd, QString &abscmd,
-                                   QStringList &args)
+bool MythSystemWindows::ParseShell(const QString&, QString &, QStringList&)
 {
     return false;
 }
diff --git a/mythtv/libs/libmythbase/system-windows.h b/mythtv/libs/libmythbase/system-windows.h
index dbf1a71f604..fa9ead5184f 100644
--- a/mythtv/libs/libmythbase/system-windows.h
+++ b/mythtv/libs/libmythbase/system-windows.h
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ class MBASE_PUBLIC MythSystemWindows : public MythSystemPrivate
         virtual void Signal(int sig);
         virtual void JumpAbort(void);
 
-        virtual bool ParseShell(const QString cmd, QString &abscmd,
+        virtual bool ParseShell(const QString &cmd, QString &abscmd,
                                 QStringList &args);
 
         friend class MythSystemManager;